DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations along with The Week's Best New Tracks

Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, has built a reputation for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to driving drum and bass and much more. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts currently working. Sydney band Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as an overlooked treasure of the year, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. Chateau, the pair, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, blend influences from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s likely to grow into well-loved and frequently referenced for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

Fresh Tracks of the Week

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, which is brilliantly accomplished: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for harmony and affection. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, you can imagine Blumberg winning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried taken from his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this richly despondent return, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this Madrid-based cellist’s dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music playing over scenes in Dune, due to its seismic drum work, screeching metallic sounds, haunting choral passages and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer teams up with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track chugs along entirely at its own pace, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the musician from Austin's dazed reverie about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.